What NFL draft experts are saying: Malik Hooker

The 49ers could go a number of different directions with the second-overall pick in the NFL draft next month. Among them is safety, with two elite prospects expected to go as high as the top five.

There’s Ohio State’s free safety Malik Hooker, who could be the long-term solution at the back end of San Francisco’s new-look defense. The other is LSU’s Jamal Adams, a thumping strong safety that would play closer to the box.

Hooker gives the 49ers an ideal centerfielder for their new Seahawks-inspired 4-3 defense. Up North, Earl Thomas fills that roll for Seattle and is one of the essential cogs in their defensive machine. When injured in 2016, the secondaries’ drop off without Thomas was obvious.

The 49ers currently don’t have a player with Thomas’ skill set. Although Hooker is inexperienced, having only started a single season for Ohio State, his instincts are already well ahead of his peers. He’s an ideal deep-cover single-high safety, with the range, ball skills and downfield physicality to elevate Saleh’s defense.

Here’s what the experts are saying about Hooker:

Daniel Jeremiah (NFL Network and NFL.com) on “Path to the Draft” talking about how Hooker fits with San Francisco:

You want someone that can make plays on the football. No one does it better than Malik Hooker. The range, instincts, anticipation and ball skills to go up and play the ball at the highest point. I think he’s a special, special player. I don’t think you can go wrong with either of those safeties. Malik Hooker though, man, he makes a lot of football plays.

Related

ESPN’s Mel Kiper in a mock draft projecting Hooker to fall to No. 7 to the Chargers:

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He has incredible range, but like (Marshon) Lattimore, he was a first-year starter for the Buckeyes in 2016. One thing that makes Hooker particularly interesting here is that Los Angeles already has one of the top pass-rushers in the NFL in fellow Buckeyes alum Joey Bosa. Hooker is the type of player who can help a great pass rush produce points going the other way on errant throws.

A rangy safety with elite ball skills, Hooker is a perfect fit for Gus Bradley’s defense, which features a lot of Cover 3 and zone coverage. Hooker is one of the five best prospects in this class, but it’s unclear whether he’ll be able to work out for teams prior to the draft after having offseason surgery on his labrum.

Nicknamed “Malik the Freak” because his combination of size and athleticism stands out even among the talented Buckeyes, Hooker exploded onto the scene in 2016, finishing tied for second in the country with seven interceptions, while wowing with his instincts and sideline-to-sideline speed. Hooker only has one season as a starter and is prone to over-aggression as an open-field tackler but scouts are giddy about his upside. Unfortunately, Hooker missed the combine workouts, undergoing core muscle and labrum (hip) surgeries.

What’s notable here is these analysts – outside of Jeremiah, who has likened Hooker to Ed Reed – don’t have Hooker pegged higher to where the 49ers pick.

The decision will come down to how San Francisco values Hooker on its board versus filling the need at the back end of their defense. There might not be a position more valuable in their new scheme than a deep safety that allows the 10 other defenders to stick to their roles, which is a key reason the Seahawks have been so successful with Thomas patrolling the back end.